January 9,2017-January 13, 2017
My experience involving diversity this week was that I was told by a friend that their parents refused to watch a performance on TV because the singer was "too gay". This was painful to hear; I like this person's parents, but I cannot say I am surprised about their hurtful comments. This shows how casual discrimination can be.
January 16-January 20, 2017
When Chelsea Manning's prison sentence was commuted, many people online made transphobic comments about her. This was not a surprise, but it was frustrating. Whether or not she actually deserved a commuted sentence was lost in the arguments over her gender identity, and it was shown how justice and the truth can be swayed by people's personal convictions.
January 23-January 27, 2017
Donald Trump signed an executive order banning refugees from countries with predominantly Muslim populations. This suggests that he will carry out the promises he made on the campaign despite many people saying that he was only speaking metaphorically to get votes.
January 30-February 3, 2017
Trump's spokeswoman invented a massacre to explain why Trump's ban on refugees was reasonable. Source: Washington Post
This is another example of the absurd lengths the Trump administration will go to to defend a lie. It also suggests that they will have no problem making such outrageous claims in the future, and that the news coming out of the White House will have little to no credibility.
February 6-February 10, 2017
I heard someone complain about their son playing a gay character in a play. This was not a surprise, as the school the play was at was in a rural area, but it showed how many such areas can still be harmful to minority groups. If a gay child had been around to hear this man's comments, they would have been embarrassed and hurt; growing up in such an environment cannot be healthy.
February 13-February 17, 2017
Many immigrants in Washington, D.C., took place in A Day Without Immigrants, where they left their jobs and schools to show people what life would be like without immigrants. Source: CNN.com
This is one more form of protest against the Trump administration, and suggests that the people impacted negatively by Trump are not going to suffer in silence. It could also be a sign that more similar protests are to come.
February 20-February 24, 2017
Trump rescinded the White House's positive guidance regarding transgender students. Source: New York Times
This serves as a warning about how the administration will act regarding LGBT issues in the future. It means that despite Trump claiming to be an ally, he was most likely just saying that to secure votes, and will act no differently than any other conservative politician when it comes to gay rights.
February 27-March 3, 2017
I heard a coworker arguing with her mother about whether or not immigrants deserved to be in the country. This served as a reminder that despite campus being fairly liberal, much of Georgia is still firmly conservative and isolationist.
March 13-March 17, 2017
The newest travel ban was blocked by a Hawaiian judge. Source: New York Times
This shows that many states are not going to easily go along with Trump's orders, which could prove to be a significant obstacle for him if he tries to push through more controversial bills in the future.
March 19-March 24, 2017
Rick Perry said that the election of A&M's student body president was tampered with so that a gay student would win. Source: Texas Tribune
This is an example of a conservative politician showing his intolerance towards progress; he would not have had an issue if the student had not been gay.
March 27-March 31, 2017
The Trump administration decided to not add questions about LGBT people to the 2020 census. Source: Washington Times
This is harmful to the LGBT community because it shows the Trump administration's lack of support for them, and, combined with Trump's other actions, such as nullifying Obama's protections for LGBT people, make it difficult for any remaining anti-discrimination laws to be enforced.
April 3-April 7, 2017
Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the Supreme Court was confirmed. Source: New York Times
This appointment comes after the Republicans refused to even consider Obama's nominated official for many months and then dismantled the filibuster option in the Senate in order to have Gorsuch confirmed. Gorsuch is known to make decisions that are conservative, and in the upcoming years the Supreme Court will no doubt hear many cases regarding subjects such as religious freedom and LGBT rights. Having Gorsuch on the Supreme Court could mean that those decisions are more conservative than the decisions that would have otherwise been made.
April 9-April 14, 2017
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a joke that suggested that LGBT youth were too weak to face the real world because they were protesting Chick-fil-a coming to their campus. Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
This comment does not surprise me, but it does increase the exhaustion I feel regarding the Trump administration. The comment itself shows how the Trump family is oblivious to the realities of people who do not share their privileges, and also shows how they lack any compassion towards people who have historically been legally marginalized and discriminated against by big companies and the government itself. In the grand scheme of things, this will serve as another piece of evidence that the Trump family does not understand the plight of those who Donald Trump is meant to protect, and suggests that Donald Trump will continue to act without regard for the dignity and well-being of the vulnerable people he does not understand.
My experience involving diversity this week was that I was told by a friend that their parents refused to watch a performance on TV because the singer was "too gay". This was painful to hear; I like this person's parents, but I cannot say I am surprised about their hurtful comments. This shows how casual discrimination can be.
January 16-January 20, 2017
When Chelsea Manning's prison sentence was commuted, many people online made transphobic comments about her. This was not a surprise, but it was frustrating. Whether or not she actually deserved a commuted sentence was lost in the arguments over her gender identity, and it was shown how justice and the truth can be swayed by people's personal convictions.
January 23-January 27, 2017
Donald Trump signed an executive order banning refugees from countries with predominantly Muslim populations. This suggests that he will carry out the promises he made on the campaign despite many people saying that he was only speaking metaphorically to get votes.
January 30-February 3, 2017
Trump's spokeswoman invented a massacre to explain why Trump's ban on refugees was reasonable. Source: Washington Post
This is another example of the absurd lengths the Trump administration will go to to defend a lie. It also suggests that they will have no problem making such outrageous claims in the future, and that the news coming out of the White House will have little to no credibility.
February 6-February 10, 2017
I heard someone complain about their son playing a gay character in a play. This was not a surprise, as the school the play was at was in a rural area, but it showed how many such areas can still be harmful to minority groups. If a gay child had been around to hear this man's comments, they would have been embarrassed and hurt; growing up in such an environment cannot be healthy.
February 13-February 17, 2017
Many immigrants in Washington, D.C., took place in A Day Without Immigrants, where they left their jobs and schools to show people what life would be like without immigrants. Source: CNN.com
This is one more form of protest against the Trump administration, and suggests that the people impacted negatively by Trump are not going to suffer in silence. It could also be a sign that more similar protests are to come.
February 20-February 24, 2017
Trump rescinded the White House's positive guidance regarding transgender students. Source: New York Times
This serves as a warning about how the administration will act regarding LGBT issues in the future. It means that despite Trump claiming to be an ally, he was most likely just saying that to secure votes, and will act no differently than any other conservative politician when it comes to gay rights.
February 27-March 3, 2017
I heard a coworker arguing with her mother about whether or not immigrants deserved to be in the country. This served as a reminder that despite campus being fairly liberal, much of Georgia is still firmly conservative and isolationist.
March 13-March 17, 2017
The newest travel ban was blocked by a Hawaiian judge. Source: New York Times
This shows that many states are not going to easily go along with Trump's orders, which could prove to be a significant obstacle for him if he tries to push through more controversial bills in the future.
March 19-March 24, 2017
Rick Perry said that the election of A&M's student body president was tampered with so that a gay student would win. Source: Texas Tribune
This is an example of a conservative politician showing his intolerance towards progress; he would not have had an issue if the student had not been gay.
March 27-March 31, 2017
The Trump administration decided to not add questions about LGBT people to the 2020 census. Source: Washington Times
This is harmful to the LGBT community because it shows the Trump administration's lack of support for them, and, combined with Trump's other actions, such as nullifying Obama's protections for LGBT people, make it difficult for any remaining anti-discrimination laws to be enforced.
April 3-April 7, 2017
Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the Supreme Court was confirmed. Source: New York Times
This appointment comes after the Republicans refused to even consider Obama's nominated official for many months and then dismantled the filibuster option in the Senate in order to have Gorsuch confirmed. Gorsuch is known to make decisions that are conservative, and in the upcoming years the Supreme Court will no doubt hear many cases regarding subjects such as religious freedom and LGBT rights. Having Gorsuch on the Supreme Court could mean that those decisions are more conservative than the decisions that would have otherwise been made.
April 9-April 14, 2017
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a joke that suggested that LGBT youth were too weak to face the real world because they were protesting Chick-fil-a coming to their campus. Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
This comment does not surprise me, but it does increase the exhaustion I feel regarding the Trump administration. The comment itself shows how the Trump family is oblivious to the realities of people who do not share their privileges, and also shows how they lack any compassion towards people who have historically been legally marginalized and discriminated against by big companies and the government itself. In the grand scheme of things, this will serve as another piece of evidence that the Trump family does not understand the plight of those who Donald Trump is meant to protect, and suggests that Donald Trump will continue to act without regard for the dignity and well-being of the vulnerable people he does not understand.